Valley Sports ReportTIOGA CENTER — Junior Gavin Kithcart had career-high with a monster double-double to lead Tioga to a 78-47 win over Southern Cayuga here Friday night in IAC Small School crossover boys basketball action.
"The guys played well tonight, and we were able to get a needed win after a few tough games," said Tioga coach Connor Hutchinson.
"I thought we did well on offense, specifically not settling, and getting our bigs involved," he noted. "A lot of guys turned down good shots and made an extra pass to get a better shot inside, that’s good to see.
"Defensively, I thought we were active, allowing us to get some transition offense going.
"We still have some things to tighten up moving forward, so we will look to keep improving as the season progresses," added Hutchinson.
Kithcart poured in 37 points and hauled down 22 rebounds to lead the Tigers.
"Kitchcart had a big game for us on the inside, both scoring and rebounding," said Hutchinson.
"After missing a few shots inside that he’d like to have back early, he did a really good job continuing to take good shots and they started to fall consistently.
"He got in a rhythm and took advantage of his size down low," added Hutchinson.
Kithcart scored eight points in the first quarter, while senior Dominic Palmer added seven points and junior Jackson Bombard chipped in with four to fuel a game-opening 21-9 blitz for the Tigers.
Kithcart scored eight more points in the second quarter, while senior James Miller drained a 3-pointer and scored five points, and Palmer add four points as Tioga used a 19-15 advantage to take a 40-24 lead into the halftime intermission.
Kithcart pumped in 12 points in the third quarter, and Miller canned another 3-pointer to fuel a 20-10 run that put the Tigers up 60-34 heading into the final eight minutes.
Kithcart finished off his career night with nine points in the fourth quarter, while Bombard and senior Talon Wood each connected from behind the 3-point arc as Tioga added to its lead with an 18-13 advantage in the final stanza.
Palmer had 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win, while Bombard had nine points, five rebounds, and six assists, Miller added eight points, five rebounds, and four assists, and sophomore Carter Stoughton dished out three assists.
Tioga, now 5-4, returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Newark Valley.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga's Jackson Bombard. IN TOP PHOTO: Tioga's Gavin Kithcart. ... PHOTOS BY CRISTINA ROSSI.
